What Now?
by KameoDash
Summary: Naruto and Sakura try to cope with the trauma of the war together. One-shot.


**Title: **What Now?

**Author: **KameoDash

**Pairing:** NaruSaku

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo do.

**What Now?**

An empty silence filled the tent, a clear contrast from the movement and chatters of men and women in the background. Two figures sat on their beds, their gaze focused on the blankness of the green cloth that forms the tent itself. From an outsider's perspective, the two teenagers appeared to be dazed, as if nothing was in their thoughts, an opposite of what is actually occurring within their minds. The track of time was lost between them, as their thoughts replayed the events of the last three days.

The blond slowly sat up, clenching his fists, wrapping his fingers around the white sheets he resided on. His body ached, each movement he did sent a painful pressure across his entire form, heat blazing from the moving muscle. He closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed against each other as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling unhurriedly. Even with Kurama, he was unable to stop his own body from collapsing in fatigue and pain. His chest was heavy, his arms felt like the weight seals Lee and Gai-sensei wore in their training. Simple to put it, for once in his life, Naruto Uzumaki was exhausted.

The actions and words of the previous days plagued his mind, consuming his very thoughts since he had awoken from his slumber in pain. A sigh left his mouth as he focused on his thoughts, analyzing anything he could recall, wondering how he should move on, continue his normal life after what he had witnessed. He recalled his life before the war, before the summit, before his master's death. Before everything, when he was a young boy who had just become a shinobi. When everything was peaceful and easy to understand. It was only a distant memory, an unreachable wish, lost in time and the deep recesses of his mind.

A shuffle and movement on the other side of the tent startled him. He turned to his right, stared at the moving figure and a soft and sincere smile formed on his lips. She always made him smile with any action she made. However, the smile broke as he recalled the events that had transpired in the war and their effect on her. She truly suffered with the rest of them in the last three days he could describe as hell. She turned to face him, a soft fake smile plastered on her face. He gazed into her eyes and knew what to expect. A storm raged in the emerald eyes, her emotions at the brink of escaping and shattering the mask she wore. "We won," she whispered softly, just audible for him to catch it. "We won…"

Naruto could only watch helplessly as tears fell down her delicate cheeks. Her mask burst and her sobs filled the silence of the tent. It painfully reminded him of the numerous times where he felt so utterly useless to comfort her. He clenched his fists tighter, looking away from her, ashamed at the situation. One of the people he cares most about breaking down right before him and all he can do is nothing. What a good friend and team mate he is. He shuffled around, facing his body towards her and placing his feet on the ground. He lifted his arm, ignored the throbbing pain and reached for her.

Sakura kept on crying. Hot tears fell down her cheeks, as she broke down second by second. The toll of the war crashed down on her the moment she gazed into his eyes. She tried avoiding the memories, unwilling to recall the events that scarred her. They frightened her to the very core of her will. The words said sliced through her heart. All the comments of her uselessness just bore its way into her. What did she achieve in this war? Sure they won, but what did she achieve herself. She only opened the seal but was still called useless by the person that she unfortunately held in her heart. She felt a hand fall on her shoulder and looked up, staring at the melancholic sapphire eyes. "What… Why? Why do you always try to help others?" she asked, her voice quiet, broken. "Why do you keep trying to help me when you're also hurting?!"

He watched her carefully, a soft smile grew on his face. She always cared for everyone. She's too kind for her own good. It is one of the many reasons he cared for her deeply and in a manner that is only reserved for her. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping it gently. Naruto wiped the tears that streamed down her cheek away delicately. "I want to help you because I know you're hurting inside. We both are. We can heal together. We've always done that, so why change now?" he replied in a soft and soothing voice. "It's ok to cry Sakura-chan. It's ok. I'm here for you."

She gazed at him in confusion. How could he forgive her so easily? She made so many mistakes and just kept failing. No matter how stronger she became, she was always put down by _him_, the Uchiha. She shuddered at the memory of the genjutsu he cast upon her. It terrified her and the image was burned into her mind. She could imagine his hand through her chest and the pain it brought. Her frustration and sobs made her feel empty. She worked so hard to bring him back and it was all for nothing. They were meant to be together. They were meant to be back in Konoha and it was her dream. To have the people she cared and loved back together. To be the same as they were in the past, when it was all peaceful and they were young. The times where they used to gaze at the stars and imagine their futures together. She wanted it back, but all she gained out of it was the scar he placed on her mind and that he was truly a man who disregarded the people who cared for him. She felt utterly useless. She tried to show him again they still cared but he ignored them and hurt her in the worst way possible. What was she meant to do now? She felt lost.

"What do we do now?" she asked in a quiet voice, her uncertainty clear. "It's all changed. Everything's different."

"Endure. We'll go day by day," he responded softly. "We'll get better eventually. No matter how long it will take, things will get better."

"You'll stay with me right?" she asked. Even if she didn't understand what her feelings for the two men were, he was always with her and she needs to be with him so they can heal together.

"Always," he answered with a small nod to the head.

"Promise?"

"I promise."


End file.
